Editors’ favorite summer reads in young adult
![Cover images from the Amazon Editors' picks for books to read this summer, including Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi and Legendborn by Tracy Deonn.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/d1ysvut1l4lkly.cloudfront.net/B0D8K19SFY/14/image-0-0.jpg)
Looking for your next great YA book this summer? We’ve got you covered with our Editor’s Favorite Summer Reads, featuring a diverse range of fiction from tragic romance to heart-pounding epics, including the beginnings of multiple bestselling series—all of which you will want to jump right into book two when finished.
Tomi Adeyemi’s debut novel, Children of Blood and Bone, blew my mind when I read it back in 2018. Adeyemi’s story is influenced by her West African heritage, and she blends religious deities (the Orisha) and a diverse landscape into a refreshing new take on fantasy. Children of Blood and Bone is told from multiple points of view, as Inan and Amari, children of the iron-fisted king, and Zélie and Tzain, siblings who have suffered greatly under the king’s regime, find themselves on a dark, magic-filled quest for power. Their journey is accompanied by violence and betrayal, but friendship and even star-crossed love also play a part. Once you reach the cliff-hanger ending you are going to want to immediately get your hands on book 2, and then book 3, of the Legacy of Orisha trilogy. —Seira Wilson, Amazon Editor
In this first book of the Legendborn Cycle, Deonn shows off her skill at world-building and complex storytelling that pulls the reader in and holds them fast. Bree can’t wait to get away from home where she is constantly reminded of her mother who was recently killed in an accident. But when she arrives at the residential program for gifted students at UNC-Chapel Hill, she gets more of an education than she expected—about a secret society and her own magical abilities. A new twist on the King Arthur legend, this epic fantasy is a winning combination of monsters, mystery, and magic. —Seira Wilson, Amazon Editor
Give Me a Sign was Anna Sortino’s debut young adult novel and landed on our Editors’ Picks for the Best YA Books of July 2023. The novel takes place at a summer camp for deaf and blind kids and Lilah is going as a counselor for the first time. As in The Summer I Turned Pretty, this is a summer of big changes for Lilah, including a crush that she’s unsure is reciprocal. Is she reading the signals correctly or getting it all wrong? First love, increased independence, and self-discovery are all part of this big-hearted story. —Seira Wilson, Amazon Editor
Like a WWI story, but with warring gods instead of countries—Divine Rivals is hopeful, heart wrenching, and sprinkled with enchantments—you’ll be spellbound by this divine romance-fantasy adventure. For those of you who haven’t read this yet, you’re in luck because there’s a cliff hanger ending and you will want to immediately jump into what happens next in the sequel, Ruthless Vows. —Seira Wilson, Amazon Editor
John Green has created a soulful novel that tackles big subjects—life, death, love—with the perfect blend of levity and heart-swelling emotion. Hazel is sixteen, with terminal cancer, when she meets Augustus at her kids-with-cancer support group. The two are kindred spirits, sharing an irreverent sense of humor and immense charm, and watching them fall in love even as they face universal questions of the human condition—such as “How will I be remembered? “ and “Does my life, and will my death, have meaning?”—has a raw honesty that is deeply moving. —Seira Wilson, Amazon Editor
I’ve read all of Holly Jackson’s books and I think this might be her best yet! When Bel Price was a toddler, her mother Rachel vanished without a trace. Bel was with Rachel at the time she went missing but has no memory of how it happened, much less why. Now 18, Bel, her father, and their extended family have agreed (some more reluctantly than others) to participate in a true-crime documentary about Rachel’s mysterious disappearance over a decade before. But just as the cameras start rolling, her mother reappears with a story Bel isn’t sure she believes. Why is she back now, where has she been, and—most significantly—can she be trusted? So many questions and Bel wants answers, but she’s going to have to find them herself. This novel is a nesting doll of mysteries and shocking twists, with an ending that made my head spin (in a good way). Perfect for fans of Sadie, Karen McManus, or anyone looking for an unputdownable thriller. —Seira Wilson, Amazon Editor
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